Kamen Rider Ryuki

Kamen Rider Ryuki tells the story of Shinji Kido, who  finds a mysterious deck of cards while investigating a disappearance. This Advent Deck allows him to transform into a Kamen Rider and cross into the mirror world from where monsters have been escaping and causing the mysterious disappearances around the city. Shinji makes a contract with the Dragreder, becoming Kamen Rider Ryuki, in order to protect humanity from these monsters. By becoming a Kamen Rider, however, he is dragged into the war that the thirteen holders of the Advent Decks have become entangled in. They are to fight each other to the death in order to become the strongest and only Kamen Rider (Highlander anybody?).

The packaging is really great. Since the Saint Cloth Myth line was the first adult toy line I collected, I have been spoiled by how nice the book-style packaging is on that line. When I got my first S.H. Figuarts, I was quite unimpressed with the packaging, by comparison. The Ryuki/Dragreder Figuarts box, on the other hand is quite hefty and striking . It is more than twice the size of a normal S.H Figuarts box! Rightfully so, since it comes packed with a slew of hands, the Drag Visor , a display stand, and the Dragreder.

The articulation of Ryuki is what one has come to expect from the S.H. Figuarts line.

Dragreder is also quite poseable. Each one of the segments on Dragreder is connected to the next by a ball joint, which allows the Dragreder to be twisted in many ways.

The tail and hand sections of Dragreder also pop off to become the sword and shields for Ryuki, respectively. The shields have incredible mobility thanks to the ball joint that they are attached to.

The set also comes with handles that attach to the socket of the shields so that Ryuki can hold them with his hands. The stand included in this set is a modified Figuarts stands that has two extra plastic arms so it can hold the Dragredder.

The finish for the red parts of Ryuuki give it a rubbery appearance, while the silver and black portions have a matte finish. This offers a nice contrast in both appearance and texture to this figure. On the other hand, Dragredder sports a cool red metallic finish.

Bandai’s attention to detail on Ryuki amazes me. They got his appearance and accessories right,  down to the smallest details. Ryuki even comes with five glossy  Advent Cards. The detail on the actual cards is very hard to see since they are so small, but can be appreciated when you magnify them.

Each of these cards is different,  and they are the ones that Ryuki uses in the show : Sword Vent, Guard Vent, Advent, Final Vent, and Strike Vent. What is even cooler is the fact that the Drag Visor gauntlet actually opens up and you can put in the cards; Bandai even included an extra right hand just for holding the Advent Cards.

My only real beef with this figure are the grey nubs (I want to call them vents because they look like them, but then it would get confusing since the weapons and attacks are called Vents). The nubs on the forearms and shoulders come out in order to accomodate the Guard Vents, dragon head ( Strike Vent), and the Drag Visor. Beware though, once you take off the nubs on the forearms and put them back in again, they will probably never stay on for long since the fit with the nub and the plastic piece that wraps around the hand will never be quite be right again. I cannot count how many times these things have fallen off and I have almost lost them.

This is a great S.H. Figuarts release, with two great toys in one package, which increases the playability of this release greatly. Although I have to confess I have not finished watching Ryuki, that did not stop me from appreciating the awesome toy that this is! I higly recomend this release to any S.H. Figuarts fan or Kamen Rider fan. I cannot wait for Bandai to release the Kamen Rider Knight